Caben, You would be correct if we were talking about any place near silicon valley. The home prices support that kind of fleecing. :) But the price per square foot where we are building is about 300 per square foot vs. the 5-600+ per square foot you see an hour north. This area is quite humble (I like that), and prices are less for everything from eggs to antiques to service for you car. That's why I'm surprised. People were building houses in my location with painting bids a fraction of my current estimate, not 10 months ago - so I don't think it's the greenbuild requirements (no voc) or licensing requirements or the recycling charge. Those have been there for a while. And I've had interior whole house bids for under 10k in other parts of CA. Hmmmm. I'm happy to be giving the contractor honest pay for honest work, but I also don't want to be funding his 4 month vacation in Bermuda. The cost of living is much less south of SV, and north of Santa Barbara- California has some hidden gems! Maybe it's my hayloft? ;) I may be looking at alot of DIY... and that's okay. It's just another excuse to be at the build site.... I'm going to be such a pest as things go up. It's just so interesting to me! If I were building in Atherton, I wouldn't be sweating things like painting bids, I'm sure.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Below is a sketch, the island has been pushed toward the fridge by about 4", but other than that, that's the plan. We are happy with the plan, and too late to really deviate for the sake of a stool (drywalling Wednesday). As you can see, the 2+2 doesn't really work, due to the fridge on one side and the dw along with what I expect to be a relatively high flow path to the door to the right that goes to a covered patio (table, outdoor fireplace, bbqs). I think you guys are right about it being better functionally, but it's not in the cards here. Should I stuff 4 stools with a corbel or just settle with 3? We will have a kitchen table in the top left with a banquette on one side, and seating for 6. But...my family currently gravitates towards the 2 spot counter seating we have in our current house, and would rather eat at the counter than being relegated to the kitchen table which is 3 feet away (me, wife, kids are 5 and 9). I can see what's coming here. 3 is the better solution, and I'll eat over the island on the other side ;>

Buy whatever you like. If you see a mass-produced piece from a big box that strikes your fancy and you want to live with it, by all means do so. Part of the pleasure of curating your home is the evolution of your personal style. My walls display large original paintings by several prominent artists in a particular genre, nice quality antique photos, prints made from photos I took with an iPhone, and a few inexpensive canvas prints from Kirkland's. It's all an expression of the people living within these walls. There are infinite sources of artistic expression -- and none of them are "wrong" or "against the rules." Re the OP's query as to how much to hang-- again, all very personal. A decorator may have one idea. A collector may have a completely different take. I've had my walls so full that I seriously started to think about hanging art from the ceiling in a previous home. In my current home, I find I need plenty of negative space to rest my eyes. There may be rules of thumb for some, but there is no one size fits all answer to the question of "how much."

@Yardvaark That is surely a concern to think about. Thanks for the tip. I do like the idea of the roll out shades but we are looking for something low cost. So may land up with a good old patio umbrella if nothing else.